These versatile troops form the line of battle, using volley fire to break the enemy before delivering a bayonet charge.

Highly disciplined and calm in the face of the enemy, these men are well trained in line infantry tactics. They can be relied upon to perform their duties with stolid determination rather than with dash and “fire in their bellies”. Their close ranks can make them vulnerable to artillery bombardment and skirmishers, and they will be ripped apart by heavy cavalry charges if they are in line. To counter this last threat, the unit can be ordered to form square. As long as discipline holds, an infantry unit in square should be able to see off enemy cavalrymen.

The weapon of the British line infantryman was the famous ‘Brown Bess’; a flintlock musket used, in various guises, from 1730 to 1830. Other nations had their own standard pattern of musket. The Brown Bess used a large heavy ball that would not fit into French muskets, meaning that British ammunition captured on the battlefield was useless. It could be melted down and recast, but not immediately fired at its former owners. The British discovered that, in times of crisis, it was possible to “tap load” a musket by banging the butt on the ground. The bullet was jogged down the barrel, and could then be fired.